The Picture of Hermione Granger
by The Sacred and Profane
Summary: Sixth story. Hermione needs something to change her image to get Ron to notice her. Where does Dorian Gray come in? Please R&R.


The Picture of Hermione Granger

Author's note: I do not own Harry Potter and anything in it. I do not own Dorian Gray. Also some quotations are used from Oscar Wilde's plays and the novel.

Hermione Granger was confused. She had no idea who to be to get Ron to notice her. She was just his plain, obnoxious, friend. Hermione needed someway to change her attitude. She had tried changing her appearance but all this caused was more jealousy on Ron's part. So she turned to books. One book in particular caught her attention. It was about a young man who wished to be youthful. She had not finished the book, but had been so entranced that she had to know Dorian Gray. Hermione had to meet him, so she had looked for a spell that would give literary characters life. One night she had found it. It was called the Biblio Charm. Taking her wand and summoning her courage, she cast the spell. There was a brilliant flash of light and Hermione passed out.

Stars swirled in her head until she felt someone shaking her. She opened her eyes and beheld the most gorgeous young man she had ever seen. He had piercing dark eyes and shoulder length black hair. He was dressed like a gentleman and had a rose in his buttonhole. His lips were sensuous and inviting. About him there hung a sense of innocence. One had only to look into his eyes and you could never think any wrong of him. "Excuse me, Miss. Are you alright?" Dorian asked.

"Yes, I'm okay. Do you know where you are?" Hermione said.

"The last thing I remember was finding my portrait and slashing it asunder with my knife. I passed out and when I awoke I found you here, wherever here is." Dorian recounted. He took stock of his situation. He was no longer in London, that was for sure, but he knew he was in England by the girl's accent. She was beautiful, if a little plain. Her eyes were brown and innocent. Her hair was the worst aspect about her, bushy and unkempt. _At last, something new in my life._ He thought to himself. "Where am I?"

"This may sound hard to believe but you're in a school for witches and wizards called Hogwarts. It's the 21rst century. I sent for you because I need your help with something." Hermione replied, looking at him once more.

"So, not only am I in the future, but I'm surrounded by magic? How delightful. Now I will truly find something better than the mundane, boorish life I have been living." Dorian said, not caring what she needed him for. He had a habit of not caring about anything, except himself.

"You don't seem pretty surprised about all this. Anyway, I need your help in changing my attitude and appearance in order to attract a certain boy. I don't think I will let anyone else know about your being here, it might bring unwanted attention. Will you help me?" Hermione said, adding a pleading tone into her voice, hoping to get sympathy from this dashing youth.

"I've experienced so much already in my life that nothing really surprises me anymore." Dorian said. _And now it's time to realize the ideal of beauty. This girl will make an interesting experiment. I'll break her down and reform her into something more beautiful._ Keeping his thoughts to himself, he smiled. "Of course I will assist you in anyway I can, fair one. This is your first lesson: To realize one's nature perfectly, that is what each of us is here for. We are punished for our refusals. Every impulse that we strive to strangle broods in the mind, and poisons us. The body sins once, and has done with its sin, for action is a mode of purification. Nothing remains then but the recollection of a pleasure, or the luxury of a regret. The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. I- but then he was cut off by a single raised hand.

"Stop!" faltered Hermione, stop! You bewilder me. I don't know what to say. There is some answer to you, but I cannot find it. Don't speak. Let me think. Or, rather, let me try not to think." Hermione stood there, motionless, with parted lips, and eyes strangely bright. She was dimly conscious that entirely fresh influences were at work within her. Yet they also seemed to come from somewhere within herself, as if Dorian's words were only a key to a door that had been locked in her soul for some time now.

Dorian smiled. He knew the precise psychological moment when to say nothing. He felt intensely interested. He was amazed at the impression his words had produced. He had merely shot an arrow into the air. Had it hit a mark? _Oh, I'm going to enjoy this._ He thought.

_1 week later…_

Ron was worried. Not worried about mundane, everyday things, but worried about the love of his life, Hermione Granger. For the past week he had not seen a single bit of her anywhere. He asked her roommates if they had seen her but they had not. He wondered if she had killed herself or something horrible like that. He pushed these thoughts to one corner of his mind, hoping she was alright. Harry and him had Potions today, so Hermione would more than likely show up. When he arrived he saw Harry in the corner. "Have you seen Mione?" he asked.

"No, I haven't. Don't worry she'll show up. You know her and Potions." Harry said. As if on cue, the doors flung open. Standing there was a vision from heaven. The vision was the perfect example of the English type of prettiness, the apple-blossom type. She seemed to have all the fragrance and freedom of a flower. Ripple after ripple of light shone in her brown hair. Her little mouth sat with parted lips, as if it expected something. It was like the mouth of a child. This lovely creature was dressed in a red satin dress and any trace of the shy bookworm from their younger days had vanished.

Ron stood there with his mouth wide open. "Her…Her…Hermione, is that you?" he stuttered out.

Hermione came right up to his face. "Yes, Mr. Weasley, how kind of you to notice that I'm a girl." She responded with an air of superiority. Hermione looked around at all the stunned expressions and smiled. "Where is Snape? I wouldn't want him to miss this."

"Miss what you insufferable little…Granger?" Serverus said, coming into the classroom. He was just as shocked as the rest of the class. Hermione smiled seductively at him. Brushing her out of his head, he turned his attention to the class. "Well, now it seems that Miss Granger, on top of being a know-it-all, also wants to be a harlot." He sneered to the class. "Open your books and I hope that there will be no more interruptions."

After the class Ron was furious at Snape for calling Hermione a harlot. _Bloody git, when I get my hands on him…_ he thought angrily, knowing that he really couldn't do anything. Leaving the class with Hermione, he asked "Mione, how could you put up with that abuse? A week ago you would have been all over Snape for that comment."

"I'm not the same weak willed girl I was back then, Ron. I've learned some things about life. You wouldn't understand. One should sympathize with the joy, the beauty, the color of life. The less said about life's sores, like Snape, the better." Hermione finished, coming up to Ron. "You're flushed, Ron. Why? Apprehensive about something, hmm?" she said tartly, smiling sensuously at him.

Ron got a hold of himself and backed away. "Mione, I don't know who's been filling your head with all that beauty rubbish, but you've got to stop acting like this. It will give you a bad reputation."

Hermione looked at him, and whispered into his ear. "One can survive everything nowadays, except death, and live down anything except a good reputation. Come visit me by the lake tonight and I'll tell you more about life."

"I'll come to the lake tonight, Mione, but I'm not coming to be brainwashed by you. I'm going because I'm concerned about your safety." Ron said, shoving Hermione away from his face.

She smiled again and walked away. Her voice came down as she went up. "Until then, darling."

Ron and Harry where in the boys' dormitories, thinking about what was up with Hermione. "What are we going to do Harry? I know something's wrong. Mione would never act like that by herself. Will you follow her after we leave and see who she goes to?" Ron asked.

"Sure, mate." Harry replied, grabbing his Invisibility Cloak out of his trunk.

The night was beautiful, full of stars. The moon looked like an enormous pearl in a sea of diamonds. Hermione looked up at the stars and smiled. _Ron will love this. I must remember to thank Dorian for all he has taught me._ She thought to herself. She was enraptured with Dorian. What had started as curiosity had become a kind of religion for her, with pleasure as the thing to be worshipped and innocence was the sacrifice offered up. But Dorian seemed bored with her lately. He had taken to spending more time alone, in the Shrieking Shack, or out in the village of Hogsmeade. She was close to realizing her heaven. Ron would be hers and she would never be seen as a know-it-all again. Then Ron appeared, as if summoned by her thoughts. "You kept your promise." She said sweetly, taking her hand in his.

"Well that's what friends are for, right?" Ron said taking her hand away from his.

"But I want to be more than friends Ron. I know you feel the same way. It's as plain as day. Reading your emotions is simple for me now." She finished, coming up to him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Yes, Mione. I did love you once. But not like this. Your becoming something amoral. I can't fall in love with a painted face, Mione. I miss the old you. The one who was never cared how she looked and always had something kind to say, instead of speaking in paradox's all the time. I want the real Hermione. Not this veil. Don't hide behind a mask anymore." Ron said, removing her arms from around his neck.

Hermione looked confused for a split second, but then flames kindled in her eyes. "You liar! You never complimented me once. You only put me down and hurt me, why should I go back to being weak willed and naïve. Life is so much more pleasurable now that I see the world as it is. So spare me your lies and come closer." She finished. She sat down and looked at Ron. "Come; lay your head in my lap. Let me whisper the secrets of life into your ears. Open your soul to me. Give in. You can't resist. The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it." Hermione pleaded sweetly.

Ron walked forward as if in a trance. He knelt down by her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Now Mione, listen to me. Life isn't about pleasure. It's about forgiveness and loving, not hedonistically throwing your life away. To me you were an ideal person, caring, sweet, and sensitive. When you smiled, I felt like nothing could ever hurt me. You made me realize what life is like. I don't want to lose you. Tell me who has defiled your image. Who warped your beliefs?" Ron said.

Hermione was shocked. From somewhere deep within her all the lies, all the decadent rhetoric she had been brainwashed with left. She felt at peace with herself, and she realized that Dorian was wrong and Ron was right. She started crying. "Ron…please forgive me! I didn't mean all those horrible things I've been saying to you. I was influenced by Dorian Gray, a very wicked man. I called him here from his fictional world to help me change my attitude in order to…in order to win you."

He just held her tight to him and started stroking her hair. "Mione, I forgive you, if you can forgive me for being such a prat and not giving you the respect and love you deserve. Now, where is Dorian? We have to send him back."

"I forgive you, Ron. He's in the Shrieking Shack." Hermione said, wiping tears from her eyes. Harry stepped out of thin air and together, the trio headed to the Shack to meet Dorian Gray.

Dorian was incensed when he saw the three enter the house. "Well, it seems like the puppet has come off her strings. Now what are we going to do about that, hmm?" he said maliciously.

"You foul, loathsome, evil thing! I was a fool to believe anything you said." Hermione screamed at him. She ran right up to him with her wand, preparing to stun him, when he grabbed her and held a knife to her throat.

"You know, I used to think you were exotic, unique even, but now I see your just another plain girl." Dorian whispered into her ear, then looking at Harry and Ron, he said "I've used this knife to kill before this and believe me I won't have any qualms about using it again. Come any closer and the girl dies." Dorian pressed the knife closer to her throat, causing a thin red stream to trickle out.

Ron was terrified. Frantically, he searched around until he found Dorian's book. He swiftly grabbed it and started tearing pages out of it. Dorian seemed to break apart bit by bit until there was nothing left. Ron heaved the book into the fire and ran towards Hermione. They hugged each other tight. Suddenly he started laughing. He couldn't stop.

"What's so amusing at a time like this, Ron?" Hermione asked him.

"Well, Mione, I always warned you that too much reading was bad for your health." Ron said, smiling at her. Harry soon joined in the laughing and Hermione gave a slight grin.

"You'll pay for that later." She responded.

"I hope so, Mione, I hope so." Ron chuckled.


End file.
